Simply The Best Cardigan for Babies + Toddlers
When you know a baby is on the way, each moment is filled with anticipation and hope, and you spend your hours preparing to greet that new special someone for the first time. Our Simply The Best Cardigan For Babies + Toddlers imbues all that love into one very simple, very beautiful knit that says… Welcome, baby!
Even if you’re just beginning to knit, or picking up your needles for the first time in years, the simplicity of this pattern ensures that you can absolutely make this heirloom beauty.
All in garter stitch, there is nothing complicated here… You can knit this timeless sweater with brain space to spare, enough to savor each moment thinking about the new arrival and the joy they will bring.
It takes a particularly wonderful yarn to hold all that love, and our 100% cashmere Nigh DK is beyond extraordinary.
The perfect yarn for a treasured knit, Nigh DK is astonishingly soft, creating a gentle embrace, and its feather-light warmth means this sweater is never stiff or stuffy, just the right amount of cozy.
And since you’re knitting for a baby, you only need a few skeins. Vivid or earthy, there are 24 stunning colors of Nigh DK to choose from, plus four sizes to knit, so you can make simply the best cardigan for your little darling!
If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!
UPDATE: NOW IN PEPPER
DECEMBER 2024
Now you have two heirloom-quality DK-weight yarns to choose from when you knit this pattern! Stick with the original Nigh DK cashmere or you can now knit your cardigan in Pepper, our hand-dyed superwash wool yarn that’s incredibly soft, charmingly speckled, and conveniently machine washable, too. Pick from a whimsical palette of happy, baby-friendly colorways and cast on for a Simply The Best Cardigan For Babies + Toddlers in Pepper!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. Click here to see even more of Gianna’s designs!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoSimplyTheBestCardiganForBabiesAndToddlers, and #PurlSohoNighDK. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 2 (2, 3, 3, 4) skeins of Purl Soho’s Nigh DK, 100% cashmere yarn. Each skein of this light worsted/dk weight yarn is 199 yards/ 55 grams; approximately 355 (395, 475, 595, 790) total yards required.
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 24- or 32-inch circular needles, depending on size you are making
- A stitch holder or scrap yarn
- A ⅜ inch button. We used one of Purl Soho’s Small Round Buttons.
- A Simply The Best Cardigan For Babies + Toddlers pattern PDF
NOTE: For the 6-12 Month size, we used all of our two skeins, so if you want to be sure you have enough, consider ordering an extra skein. If you don’t end up needing it, you can return unwound yarn for a refund within 30 days of purchase, or within 6 months for store credit. Our Return Policy has all the details!
We knit the following sizes and colors:
Newborn: Nigh DK in Pink Pearl + Small Round Button in Pastel Peach
6-12 Months: Nigh DK in Beech Wood + Small Round Button in Khaki
1-2 Years: Nigh DK in Pink Snail + Small Round Button in Burgundy
GAUGE
23 stitches and 46 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch
SIZES
Newborn (6–12 Months, 1–2 Years, 2–3 Years, 3–4 years)
To fit actual chest circumference of 15–17 (17–19, 18–20, 21–23, 23–25) inches, with approximately 3½–5½ inches of ease
- Finished Chest Circumference: 20½ (22½, 23½, 26½, 29) inches
- Finished Body Length from Bottom Edge to Underarm: 6 (6½, 7, 7¾, 8½) inches
- Finished Body Length from Bottom Edge to Top of Shoulder: 9½ (10¼, 11, 12¼, 13½) inches
- Finished Sleeve Length: 6¼ (7¼, 7¾, 8½, 10½) inches
PATTERN
Our Simply The Best Cardigan For Babies + Toddlers pattern is available for purchase as a PDF download only.
Learn About Nigh DK + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Cast on for this project in Nigh DK and knit an heirloom! The most amazingly soft and incredibly feather-light fiber you can imagine, this 100% Mongolian cashmere yarn is spun in four even plies that knit into a beautiful, even fabric with a soft halo that floats above the fabric’s surface, a distinctive characteristic of fine cashmere yarns. A light worsted/DK-weight yarn, Nigh DK is thin enough to feel streamlined and elegant and thick enough to feel substantial. Pick up a gorgeous color (or two!) and have a truly extraordinary knitting experience!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of (mostly free!) Nigh DK knitting patterns and cast on!
More Light Worsted/ DK-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/ DK weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Looking for something like this – simple and quick knit
Hi Doreen,
We’re so glad to hear that this pattern is what you’ve been looking for!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you. The pattern look’s lock and easy to knit.
You’re so welcome! Glad to hear that this pattern has caught your eye!
All the best,
Lili
Very nice
Luv the simplicity yet elegance of this design. Would luv to have one for me how can I size this to adult size?
Hi Lori,
Thank you for writing in! We are so happy that this pattern caught your eye. Unfortunately, we do not currently have pattern instructions for sizing up this pattern and I’m afraid these kinds of modifications are outside the scope of support we can offer at this time! I will be sure to pass along your kind suggestion to our design team for adult sizes!
Warmly,
Gavriella
I, too, would love to knit this in adult sizes. Its simplicity is so appealing; I believe I could actually finish it! Please consider having one of the knitting experts at PS convert the pattern to include us. Thank you.
I just finished knitting two baby hats from your pattern–this sweater will be a perfect accompaniment!
Easy pattern…thanks
Can I use the recycled cashmere in todays email?
Hi Nicola,
That’s a great question! Holding Echo Cashmere alone would unfortunately be too thin for this project but you could double your strands (holding two strands together as one) and it would work perfectly! We always suggest making a quick gauge swatch just to make sure you can match the one of the pattern and to check that you are happy with the result of the fabric. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any more questions!
Warmly,
Gavriella
Thank you. ❤️
Love this adorable cardigan. Can you please recommend a non-wool option? I’m worried if the baby would be allergic to wool. Thank you.
Hi Stephanie,
That’s a great question! Although wool allergies vary from person to person, our Nigh DK is actually 100% cashmere and contains no lanolin, so it’s a perfect fiber for someone with a lanolin allergy. It’s also super soft with fine fibers, so they won’t scratch like most wool does! I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Vielen Dank für die schöne Anleitung.
Can I use any other yarn.? Possibly something that is machine washable?
Hi Susan,
Thanks for writing in! Normally, I’d recommend another DK weight yarn as a substitute for Nigh DK, but the gauge of this pattern is relatively small and closer to a typical sportweight gauge. I’d recommend our Cotton Pure, which is super soft completely machine washable. As always though, we recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on your project, especially when you are substituting yarns. You may need to size up or down your needles in order to get the correct gauge!
All the best,
Lili
Looks like a nice easy pattern
I like the look of this cardigan for toddlers. It looks very nice and easy to make. I look forward to receiving the pattern so I can make some
This will be a great pattern to work to keep some ‘you got a new grandbaby’ gifts on hand.
Hi there
Love this beautiful pattern and its simplicity, can it be adapted to straight knitting needles and if so what size?
Most of us older Aussies aren’t familiar with the circular needles.
Kind regards
Hi Susan,
Thank you for writing in! I’m afraid that straight needles probably won’t work for this pattern. You’ll be working with a lot of stitches at once, so the width will be too long for the needles, and the stitches will be at risk of falling off. I’d recommend investing in a pair of circular needles–they’ll be super useful for all sorts of future projects too!
Warmly,
Gavriella
I believe the circular needles are simply to help with the number of stitches and not actually to join and work in rounds, although I admit that I have not read through the whole pattern yet. But if that is the case, you would not need to adapt anything. Just use the same size straight needles that get the gauge, but a long straight needle to hold all the stitches. Otherwise, 8f possible to obtain circular needles, you would use them just like straight needles, turning your work each row instead of joining.
Bellissimo! Grazie
Luigina
Very good & easy patterns
Is there a yarn that can be substituted? Bit pricy for me till I give it a try see if I can do it! Thanks Lynn
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for writing in! Normally, I’d recommend another DK weight yarn as a substitute for Nigh DK, but the gauge of this pattern is relatively small and closer to a typical sportweight gauge. Here are some sportweight yarns that I think would be perfect for the pattern:
Season Alpaca: 100% super baby alpaca
Cotton Pure: 100% organically grown cotton
Good Wool: 100% Andean highland wool
Speckled Hen: 80% baby alpaca, 20% fine merino wool
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Lili
This is adorable…however….cashmere scares me. How about cotton? Is this possible?
Hi Margie,
You could absolutely use a cotton yarn for this pattern! I’d recommend our Cotton Pure, which is super soft and perfect for baby items. As always though, we recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on your project, especially when you are substituting yarns. You may need to size up or down your needles in order to get the correct gauge!
All the best,
Lili
Can you please make this pattern in adult? It’s exactly the kind of simple sweater I’ve been looking for to wear over T-shirt’s!
Hi Lib,
Thank you for writing in! That sounds like a wonderful idea and I will be sure to share this feedback with our team!
All the best,
Gavriella
Would love to see this in adult sizes
I’m so happy to have this pattern. I’ll knit this for my friends, soon to be born, first grand child. It’s such a beautiful simplistic pattern. I love it!
Beautiful little sweater!
Darling little sweater and easy to knit up. Requesting adult size pattern for this also pretty please!
I am wondering if I could knit this with Plein Air yarn instead of the cashmere. I would do a gauge swatch to make sure I had the right needle size, but would that yarn work for a baby and this pattern?
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for writing in! You can absolutely use Plein Air for this pattern. As you mentioned, you will just want to be sure you get gauge for the pattern before beginning. I hope this helps but please feel free to let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy Knitting,
Gavriella
Would Serif work for this pattern?
Hi Rachel,
That’s a great question! You can definitely use Serif for this project but we always recommend knitting a gauge swatch just to be sure you can match the one in the pattern and to see how you like the fabric! I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hello This gorgeous little cardigan is so cute.
I live in UK and can’t afford this yarn
Baby double knit 150grams would that be suitable substitute?
Hi Sues,
Thank you for writing in! Unfortunately, I am not entirely familiar with that yarn but from the details you have shared, it sounds like it should be a great alternative to use with this pattern. The most important part is that you are able to get gauge with the yarn so I would start by making a quick knitting swatch before you begin. I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Thank you Gavriella I will do a gauge swatch as you advise.
In UK we call them Tension Square. I love the way the construction is explained within the pattern too.
Lovely pattern! I’m knitting this for my 4 th granddaughter who will be born the beginning of April.
I think there is a mistake in the pattern regarding the slipped stitches.
I slip the 1st stitch and then the pattern calls to skip the last stitch as well (pg5). I did that but it didn’t look nice. I have a nice chain look if I knit the last stitch and then slip the 1st stitch as called for in the pattern.
Hope this is what is intended.
Thank you for the pattern!
Hi Katrin,
Thank you for writing in! You can definitely work your slip stitches that way if you prefer. The slip stitch detail was a design choice by the designer but you can knit those edges in the way you like best!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Katrin, I have the same confusion about slipping the last stitch at the end of row 4 – it doesn’t look correct when you turn the work to begin the next row, which is repeating row 3(knit all stitches to the end). So if I understand correctly what you decided to do is: Row 4, slip 1st stitch, knit to the end; next row, slip 1st stitch, knit to end; and so on. Did that turn out ok? Thanks!
Nice patterns
Hi!
I’m loving knitting this, but then I looked at the measurements on the layout and… I’m confused.
Has no one else had an issue with the measurements on the layout of this pattern? How can the sides be 6” and the arms be 7” as drawn?
Hi Jean,
Thank you for writing in! The layout schematic shown includes all the measurements before you seam the final piece together at the sides. Since this pattern is knit flat all the way through, you will notice in the construction details that the arms will be folded in half and seamed along the sides to finish off your sweater. I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Lovely sweater!
I love this sweater and I’m almost finished with it. Are the two edges of the neck supposed to be different? Not sure what I did wrong if they’re supposed to be the same. Also after the bind offs before finishing that part (except at the bottom), I broke/cut the yarn. I wasn’t sure how to bind off without cutting the yarn.
Hi Laura,
Thank you for writing in! That is correct, the edges of the neckline vary just slightly but as long as they both have a clean edge, it sounds like you are exactly on the right track. I’m afraid I don’t understand your questions about the bind off. Could you let me know exactly which section you are having issues? I’d love to be able to help you work through this section as well.
All the best,
Gavriella
For example in bind off the back neckline. After I bind off the stitches, I found that I had to break the yarn to start knitting again.
Ah, thank you for following up with more information! You should be able to continue knitting right after binding off stitches. If using a basic bind off, you should be able to continue knitting since your yarn is stitch attached. If this doesn’t work, we’d be more than happy to assit over one of our free 1-on-1 project help sessions!
Could I use Morning as a substitute yarn?
Hi Janice,
That’s a great question! Morning would make a wonderful alternative for this pattern. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
I am trying to make gauge with Cotton Pure. Would be interested in learning what size needles is working for gauge with this yarn. thanks!
Hi Melinda,
Thanks for writing in! The recommended needle size for Cotton Pure is US 3-5 (3.25-3.75 mm). You can find all of the product details such as suggested gauge and needles under the Product Details section on each product page but I’d also like to share our All About Gauge Tutorial in case you find that helpful for adjusting needle sizes. I hope this helps!
Happy making,
Gavriella
I must be an idiot but…where exactly is the button “hole”? Do I just use the fact that the edge of the neck is kind of lacy and use that? Fabulous pattern – sorry if I missed something obvious!
Hi Iris,
Thanks for writing in! The buttonholes are created using a yarn over increase in the Bind Off rows in the Bind Off Sleeve + Create Buttonhole section of each front side of the cardigan. You’ll actually create a Buttonhole on both Front edges–one will be the hole and the other will mark where to place the button!
All the best,
Lili
I this pattern available in adult women’s sizes?
Hi Maureen,
I’m afraid this pattern is only available for small children at the moment. If this style is catching your eye though, I’d recommend checking out our End to End pullover! I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gavriella
I would love to make this in with Linen Quill. What advice do you have? Would size 5 needles work? Thanks!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for writing in! I’m afraid Linen Quill is too thin for this pattern but you could probably hold it double. I’d recommend knitting a quick gauge swatch with the yarn of your choice to see if you are able to achieve the same tension of the pattern. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gavriella
Great suggestion, thank you! Any baby/toddler patterns designed for Linen Quill you could point me to?
Oh great question! You could use Linen Quill for any fingering weight projects and you can see our full collection of baby items here: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/category/knit-garments/knit-garments-size-babies-toddlers,knit-garments-yarn-weight-fingering/
I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
The description specifies (4) sizes but lists (5) wool amounts…can you clarify?
Hi there,
Thank you for writing in and this is a great question! The pattern is written for 5 sizes which can be found along with the yardages for each on page 1 of the pattern. The sizes include Newborn (6–12 Months, 1–2 Years, 2–3 Years, 3–4 years) to fit actual chest circumferences of 15–17 (17–19, 18–20, 21–23, 23–25) inches, with approximately 3½–5½ inches of ease. I hope this helps clarify things a bit!
All the best,
Gavriella
Can you tell me what length circular needles I should use if knitting the 6-12 month size? I’m guessing that I should
use the 24” length size? Is that correct?
Hi Diane,
A 24 inch cord would work perfect for this project! Please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
good morning! Love this pattern – one question before I purchase. Is it knit in one piece or are the sleeves knitted separately.
Hi Geri,
This cardigan is knit in one piece!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hello, I’m wondering why it is recommended to seam the sidesa and arms on the wrong side. Design wise do we want to create a ridge on the right side?
thank you
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for writing in! You’ll actually be seaming the cardigan together with the right side facing outwards. The pattern says “Fold piece so wrong sides are together and side edges are aligned,” which means the wrong sides are touching each other, and the right sides are on the outside. Either way though, it doesn’t really make a difference since neither of the seaming techniques used create much of a ridge!
All the best,
Lili
Would Posy work for this pattern? I have some leftover from the fair isle cardigan pattern and would like to use it up!
Hi Lynn,
Since Posy is a fingering weight yarn, it might be too thin for this pattern, which is designed for a light DK weight yarn. However, Posy is a very buoyant yarn, so it could work! Since you already have some on hand, all you’ll need to do is knit up a gauge swatch to see if you can achieve the gauge of the pattern. You might need to size up or down your needles, but as long as you’re able to match the gauge, you can absolutely use Posy for this pattern!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you so much for your speedy reply! I will try it and see if it works. If not, I will probably get the Nigh DK bc it is too darling of a sweater not to make!
Can you tell me a definitive way to tell the right side vs wrong side on garter stitch. I’ve already knit around 20 rows.
Hi Amy,
Great question! In this pattern, the first row and all subsequent odd numbered rows are the right side rows. That’s a bit different from other patterns, where the first row is often a set-up row. Anyway, you can look at the cast-on edge, and in this case, the side with a bumpier cast-on edge is the right side, and the side with a smoother cast-on edge is the wrong side. (It’s usually the other way around, but in this design it’s this way!)
All the best,
Lili